Organ key



A ril 29, 1958 L. E. HAYSLETT ORGAN KEY 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 7,1953 INVENTORL ZeZZ A ril 29, 1958 L. E. HAYSLETT ORGAN KEY 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 7, 1953 April 29, 1958 Filed July 7, 1953 L.E. HAYSLETT ORGAN KEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 5 INVENTOR.

Unite @RGAN KEY Application July 7, 1953, Serial No. 366,483

ll. (Ilaims. (Cl. 84-433) This invention is concerned with a molded keyof the organ or piano type.

It has been conventional practice for a great many years to make organand piano keys of wood, the finger contact or playing surfaces beingcovered with ivory, plastic or other material, to effect a smooth andattractive finish. This presents a satisfactory appearance with all ofthe keys in rest poistion, but when any key is in playing or depressedpoistion the unfinished side surface of the adjacent keys are visible.

Wooden keys have further disadvantages. They are heavy, and consequentlythe inertia is high. Consesequently, there must be either a slow returnaction, or stiff return springs must be used which makes depression ofthe keys difficult. Furthermore, wooden keys covered with ivory orplastic cannot conveniently be held to close tolerances, andconsiderable initial adjustment is necessary after assembly. Wooden keysalso are susceptible to warping and to splitting and cracking whenexposed to dampness.

It is obvious that a key constructed entirely of plastic could be madeto have a uniformly finely finished and attractive appearance. However,merely making a key of plastic would not solve the problem of highinertia and would present additional difliculties. Specifically, moldedarticles made from plastic of reasonable cost tend to shrink andultimately to split and crack if there is any substantial concentratedmass of plastic.

It is an object of this invention to provide a practical plastic key ofthe organ or piano type.

Some other objects of this invention are to provide a molded plasticorgan or piano key of a particular shape which saves material; has lessweight and consequent low inertia, yet requisite strength; which can beproperly molded; which is easily handled in assembly; and wherein thevarious keys or" an octave take several difierent constructions.

Another object of this invention is to provide'an overhanging portion ofan organ key making the key more readily accessible, wherein theoverhanging portion presents a solid appearance.

in order to obtain the above objects, this invention contemplatesmolding the keys in a skeleton construction with, the shanks thereofhaving a substantially L- shaped cross section. Advantage istaken ofadjacent black keys for hiding, the open sides of the shanks.

Other, and further objects and advantages as well as the principles ofthe invention will be understood from the following description whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Pig. 1 is a top view of an electronic organ keyboard constructed inaccordance with the principles of the invention;

Pig. 2 is a perspective view showing several of the keys and showing themanner in which an open side of a key shankis hidden by the adjacentblack key;

Fig. 3' is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through tates Patentice one of the keys as taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through the key taken along the line4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the keys taken from beneath thekey;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the associated key bar taken frombeneath the key bar;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal lower view of a part of the key and partly insection as taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 5, but showing a differentkey;

Fig. 9 is a bottom view of a portion of the keyboard; and

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view through the keyboard as taken alongthe line 10-46 of Fig. 9.

Referring now in greater particularity to the figures wherein similarnumerals are utilized to identify similar parts throughout, a keyboard2% of an organ or the like is shown from above in Fig. l. The keyboard20 comprises a plurality of white keys 22 for playing the whole notes,and a plurality of black keys 2% for playing the sharps and flats, allas is conventional. Suitable parts 26 of the organ cabinet are arrangedat opposite ends of the keybord. Most of the white keys have black keysbetween them, although as is well known in the art and as may be seen inFig. 1 there are no black keys between the E and F keys and between theB and C keys. Additionally, there is no black key above the high C keyat the extreme right end of the keyboard.

A typical key and its mounting are shown in Fig. 3. This key,specifically the F key, comprises an integral molded construction havinga body portion 23, a shank 30, and a depending skirt or apron 32. As maybe seen in Fig. 3 and also in Figs. 4 and 5, the shank 30 has anL-shaped cross section presenting an upper finger contact or playingflange 34, and a vertical flange 36. An intermediate transverse rib 4t}affords stifiening of the shank. The inner end of the shank 30 isdownwardly oifset as at 42 and is provided with a suitable screw hole44.

In the specific case of the G key illustrated, the left side of the bodyportion 28 forms a straight line with the left side of the shank 3d, theflange 36 lying flush along this side. The right side of the bodyportion 46 is offset outwardly as may be seen to provide part of arecess, accommodating the adjacent A black key. The body portion 28 hasan upper playing or finger contact Web 48 forming a continuation of theflange 34 of the shank. This web is provided along its longitudinaledges with depending stiffening flanges Ell. The leftmost of thestiffening flanges forms a continuation of the shank flange 36. The bodyportion 28 includes a solid end piece 52 best seen in Figs. 3, 5 and 7.The end piece 52 and a part of the body portion 28 extend outwardly fromthe underlying portion of the organ cabinet as may be seen at 54 in Fig.l. The solid construction of the and piece 52 makes the entire bodyappear to be solid when viewed from the front of the organ. Strength andrigidity are imparted to the body portion by substantially diagonalcross flanges 56 and 53. As will be noted in Fig. 7, the flanges orwalls 56 and 58 do not run directly between the corners formed where theside walls So join the ends of the body portion, but are offset somewhatfrom these corners. This does away with the relatively large masses ofplastic that would be present if the flanges or Walls 56 and 58 randirectly into the corners. Such masses would be more likely to split andcrack than are the relatively thin walls provided.

The depending portion or apron 32 previously mentioned comprises atransversely extending wall 60 from which a pair of vertical walls 62extend forwardly. These walls are spaced apart and are provided at theirforwardly extending edges with inner shoulders 64. A screw head recess66 is provided in the outer face of the wall 60 and is aligned with thespace between the walls 62. A corner wall 67 parallel to the shankflange 36 braces the opposite edge of the top flange 34 of the shank.

Each key is mounted on a metal key bar 68 best seen in Figs. 3 and 6.Each key bar 68 comprises a channelshaped body portion 70 having at oneend thereof a depending arm 72 with a forwardly extending finger 74 atthe lower end thereof. The side flanges of the body 70 are terminatedshort of the arm 72 as at 76. A T-shaped guide 78 is secured by meanssuch as rivets within the channel-shaped body 70 and extending outwardlytherefrom parallel to the arm 72.

The key bar 68 and key are held together by screws 80 and 82, the formerpassing through the opening 44 in the offset wall or flange 42, and thelatter having its head fitting in the recess 66 with its shank extendingbetween the walls 62 of the depending skirt or apron 32. The arm 72 fitsagainst the internal shoulders 64, but does not form a snug fittherewith at the angle between the body portion 70 and arm 72.Accordingly, when the key bar is elongated relative to the key withchanges in temperature, this corner merely fits more snugly against theshoulders 64. Conversely, when the key bar shortens relative to the keythis corner merely pulls outwardly a slight bit from the seat formed bythe shoulders 68 without damage either to the key or key bar. Thisdisposition of the attaching screws 80 and 82 in diflerent planes thuswill be seen to be of considerable importance.

A leaf spring attaching member 84 is secured to the key bar at theopposite or inner end thereof. Each spring member 84 comprises a flatportion 86 secured to the key bar by any suitable means such as rivets88.

The extending end of the spring member 84 is upwardly deflected at 90and is apertured for receipt of a screw or the like 92 which attachesthe spring member to an upwardly oflset horizontal flange 94 of amounting plate 96. The mounting plate extends substantially from end toend of a keyboard and may be of intgeral construction or otherwise.

An insulating support 98 is secured beneath the plate 96 and carries avertically spaced array of substantially horizontal flexible wires 100having looped inner ends or eyelets 102 for attachment to lead wires.The wires 100 are adapted to be moved up and down for vertical movementof their free outer ends. To effect movement of the wires 100 aninsulating strip 104 having a suitable number of spaced holes is placedover the wires. A rubber cap or bumper 106 is placed on the upper end ofthe strip 104 which is vertically reciprocable through a slot in themounting plate 96. A screw 108 is threaded through the key bar directlyabove the rubber cap 106 for abutment against said cap to force thewires 100 down. The screw S passes through an upwardly deflected end 110on the spring member 84 before being threaded through the key bar. Thisspring end portion 110 pushes up against the clamping face of the screw108 to maintain tension on the threads thereof and thereby to lock thescrew in adjusted position.

A plurality of insulating rods 112 is arranged transversely of the wires100. As will be understood, there is a vertical set of the wires 10% foreach key of the keyboards, and each rod 112 is arranged to be contactedby corresponding wires of each set. The rods 112 are rotatably mounted,and each carries a longitudinally extending conductive insert or wire114. The rods 112 normally are positioned so that the wires 114 cannotbe engaged by the wires 106. However, actuation of suitable stopcontrols individually rotates the rods 112 selectively to. position thewires 114 for engagement by the wires 100 .4 when the latter aredeflected downwardly by the insulating strip 104.

A relatively wide and shallow guide tray 116 is secured to the mountingplate 96 by securing vertical flanges of the mounting plate and theguide tray together. The guide tray 116 is provided with a series ofapertures 118 receiving the stems of the T-shaped guide members 78.Aligned slots 120 are provided in the horizontal flange 122 of asubstantially Z-shaped bracket 124. The slot 118 and 120 are largeenough to avoid engagement with the guide member 78, and strips 126 and128 with slots small enough to engage the guide member 78 fairly snuglyand to keep the guide member out of contact with the flange 122 and tray116 are suitably afiixed to the tray 116 and to the flange 122,respectively. The strips 126 and 128 preferably are formed ofpolyethylene, and the engagement of a polyethylene with the metal of theguide member 78 afiords a smooth and pleasant key action. Guiding of theguide member 78 by the two spaced strips 126 and 128 insures movement ofeach key without twisting or lateral displacement thereof.

A strip of felt 130 is aflixed along the guide tray 116 adjacent therear vertical flange thereof for engagement by the skirt or apron 32 tolimit downward movement of the key. The arm 72 of the key bar extendsthrough a slot 132 in the bottom of the guide tray, and a felt strip 134is suitably secured beneath the central portion of the tray forengagement by the key bar finger 74 to limit upward movement of the key.The normal upward deflection of the end section 90 of the spring member84 holds the finger 74 against the upstop 134, while flexing of thespring member 84 allows the key to be depressed by an organists fingeruntil the skirt or apron thereon engages the downstop. The resilience ofthe spring 84 returns the key to its normal position when it isreleased.

As has been noted heretofore, the shank 30 of each key is L-shaped incross section. The open side or free edge of each key is never exposedto the eye, and each key therefore presents a finished appearance at alltimes. As

may be seen in Fig. 10, a black key 136 is used to shield each free edge138 except for the free edge 140 of the high C key 142 which is hiddenby the organ cabinet part 26. The manner in which the black keys hidethe free edges 138 is illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the A key is shownin depressed position. This would expose the free edge of the G keyexcept for the A black key which is shown in dash lines to illustratehow the free edge of the G key otherwise would be exposed. The parts ofthe white or natural keys extending inwardly beyond the rear edges ofthe black keys 136 are housed within the organ cabinet and are neverseen by the eye.

In order that the black keys may hide the free edges of all of the whitekeys, the L-shaped cross sections of the shanks 30 are reversed as maybe seen in Figs. 9 and 10. Furthermore, the shanks and theircorresponding forwardly extending walls 62 and cooperating recesses 66are all positioned differently relative to the associated key bodies 28so that the white keys and black keys may conform to the conventionalsizes and spacing while the actuating connections remain uniformlyspaced. The B, D, E and G keys at first glance appear to be similar asdo the A, C and F keys. Closer inspection reveals that the shank andassociated wall and recess of the A key are moved in a slight distancefrom the side of the key body 28 corresponding to the free edge 138 ofthe shank, while the F key has its free edge moved over far enough thatthe vertical flange of the key lies along the side wall of the bodyportion 28. Similarly, the B and E keys differ slightly in that theoutermost of the forwardly projecting walls 62 of the B key is thinnerthan the corresponding wall of the E key, the shank of the B key isnarrower than that of the E key, and the recess 66 of the B key, beingcloser to the edge of the key, opens outwardly of the key while that ofthe E key does not.

The D and G keys obviously ditfer from the B and E keys in having theirshanks shifted over a bit so that the flange sides thereof are displacedinwardly from the corresponding body side wall. The shank of the G keyis displaced in this direction somewhat more than that of the D key.

The high C key 142 has a shank 144 which is of the same width as thebody portion 146 since there is no adjacent black key. Additionalrigidity is imparted to the wide horizontal flange of the shank 144without adding weight by a tubular section 148 of rectangular crosssection formed in place of the corner of the vertical wall 60 found inthe skirts or aprons of the remainder of the keys.

Thus it will be seen that every white key in an octave differs fromevery other key, particularly in the position of the free edge of thekey, and the position of the forwardly extending walls 62, and in theposition of the screw head recess 66.

It will be seen that the organ or piano type key disclosed herein is apractical plastic key which has no large masses to split, crack, orotherwise deform. The key is of molded plastic which gives a finishedappearance. The particular shape of the key saves material, and leads tolower weight and consequent lower inertia without sacrificing strengthand without sacrificing the finished appearance of the key. The key canbe molded readily, and the L-shaped cross section of each key shanksimplifies manual handling of a key during assembly.

The overhanging portion of each key presents the keys in a most readilyavailable position in the keyboard, while the particular configurationof the key body and overhanging portion provides substantial strength,low inertia, and a finished appearance.

Various changes in structure can be made in the illustrative exampledescribed and shown herein and form a part of the invention in so far asthey fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A one piece molded key of the organ or piano type comprising a bodyportion having downwardly opening recess means therein and an upperplaying surface, a shank of L-shaped cross section having horizontal andvertical flanges and extending longitudinally from said body portion,said shank having transverse bracing means, said transverse bracingmeans extending substantially the full width of the horizontal flangeand the depth of the vertical flange, and means on said key forattachment to a musical instrument of the organ or piano type, said bodyportion, shank and attachment means being integrally molded of plastic.

2. A one piece molded key of the organ or piano type as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the body portion has a plurality of downwardly openingrecesses.

3. A key of the organ or piano type comprising a body portion having anupper playing surface and a plurality of downwardly opening recessesdefined by side and end walls and a pair of intersecting, substantiallydiagonally arranged walls, said diagonally arranged walls having theirends spaced from the intersections of the side and end walls, a shank ofL-shaped cross section extending longitudinally from said body portion,and means on said key for attachment to a musical instrument of theorgan or piano type, said body portion, shank, and attachment meansbeing integrally molded of plastic.

4. A one piece molded key of the organ or piano type comprising a bodyportion, a shank of L-shaped cross section extending longitudinally fromsaid body portion, said shank having transverse brace means, a dependingportion adjacent the junction of said shank and said body portionadapted for engagement with stop means to limit depression of said key,and means on said depending portion and on said shank for attachment toa musical instrument of the organ or piano type, including a pair ofintegral walls extending forwardly from said depending -6 portion forengagementwith a supporting member, said body portion, dependingportion, shank and attachment means being integrally molded of plastic.

5. A one piece molded key of the organ or piano type as set forth inclaim 4, wherein the forwardly extending walls comprise a pair of wallsprovided at their front edges with internal, confronting shouldersformingaseat for a support member.

6. A one piece molded key of the organ or piano type as set forth inclaim 5, wherein the depending portion is provided with a screw headreceiving recess aligned with the space between the forwardly extendingwalls and disposed on the opposite side of said depending portion fromsaid walls, said depending portion including a screw shank receivinghole between said recess and the space between said walls.

7. A one piece molded key of the organ or piano type comprising a bodyportion, a shank of skeletal construction extending longitudinally fromsaid body portion, a depending portion on said key adjacent the junctionbetween said body portion and said shank, a pair of forwardly extendingwalls on said depending portion having internal, confronting shouldersat their front edges adapted to receive a supporting member in only onepredetermined position, and means on said depending portion and on saidshank adapted for attachment to a supporting member for mounting saidkey in a musical instrument of the organ or piano type, all of theforegoing parts of said key being integrally molded of plastic.

8. A one piece molded key of the organ or piano type comprising a bodyportion having downwardly opening recess means therein and an upperplaying surface, a shank of L -shaped cross section having a horizontalflange and extending longitudinally from said body portion, a downwardlydirected wall at the end of said shank opposite said body portion, ahorizontally extending flange on the lower edge of said downwardlyextending wall displaced vertically from horizontal shank flange, anintermediate transverse stiffening rib on said shank, and means on saidkey for attaching said key to a supporting member with said horizontallyextending flange and said transverse rib bearing against said supportingmember and said horizontal shank flange spaced above the said member.

9. An octave of one piece molded keys of the organ or piano type, eachkey comprising a body portion having downwardly opening recess meanstherein and an upper playing surface, a shank of L-shaped cross sectionextending longitudinally from said body portion and having a freelongitudinal edge, a depending portion adjacent the junction betweensaid shank and said body portion, and a pair of spaced apart wallsextending forwardly from said depending portion and having internal,confronting shoulders adapted for cooperation with a support member inonly one position, said depending portion having a screw head receivingrecess aligned with the space between said pair of forwardly extendingwalls and on the opposite side of the depending portion from said walls,the free edge, forwardly extending walls, and screw head recess of eachkey being positioned relative to the body of that key differently fromevery other key in the octave.

10. A key of the organ or piano type comprising a body portion having anupper playing surface and a plurality of downwardly opening recessesdefined by side and end walls arranged generally transversely of oneanother and by a pair of intersecting, substantially diagonally arrangedwalls, a shank extending longitudinally from said body portion, andmeans on said key for attachment to a musical instrument of the organ orpiano type, said body portion and shank being integrally molded ofplastic.

ll. A one-piece molded key of the organ or piano type as set forth inclaim 10 wherein the ends of the substantially diagonally arranged wallsare spaced from the intersections of the side and end walls.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pratt Feb. 22, 1876 Hammond May 10, 1938Hammond Dec. 26, 1939 Mohler Mar. 4, 1941 Hammond et a1. Aug. 26, 1941 8Ahern 'et a1. Jan. 31, 1950 Martin Nov. 21, 1950 Appel Feb. 5, 1952Greenleaf et a1 Oct. 7, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Dec. 13, 1951

